Manchester United signs Angel Di Maria for $99 million

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United has signed Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for a British-record fee of 59.7 million pounds ($99 million).

The 26-year-old Di Maria joined on a five-year contract, taking United's spending to about 130 million pounds ($215 million) in the summer transfer window as England's most successful club seeks to revive its fortunes under new manager Louis van Gaal.

Di Maria was one of Madrid's key players last season when the Spanish team became European champion for a 10th time, but rejected the offer of a new contract during the offseason and asked to leave.

Di Maria's transfer fee breaks the previous British record of 50 million pounds (then $81 million), set in 2011 when Fernando Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool.